#also when we found out aerin wasn’t supposed to even come back at all. so you all were shitting on valax for no reason after all

[niaerinisms]

Book 2 was not bad, you all just didn’t care about the book outside of your white boy LI

[seduceme-lovestruck-thearcana]

The Girl in The Blue Dress

Chapter 19: Grief 

@megatraven and @aallotarenunelma

New chapter >:)). And idk how funerals worked in other times so I just...kinda took the vague path. I hope it makes sense.

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After Rose and Apollo found the bodies, she took the body of her crewmate and left the palace through one of the back doors. She knew every inch of this palace, and she managed to not get caught. Apollo wanted to go with her, but he knew she needed time to be alone. She needed time with the woman, even if she was gone, and he couldn’t steal that from her. 

Apollo went back to the ballroom and looked for Sam. He found him where he last was and walked over to him with his head held high. He was sad, but he couldn’t show that to people here. He was poisoned last time and was not going to let anything happen to him or others because he was emotional.

He was already used to suppressing his emotions, so what’s different?

He reached Sam and stood beside him, looking out onto the people dancing. 

“What happened?”

“Nothing good.”

“What do you mean?” Sam tried not to show emotion, but his voice became a bit louder than a whisper and it sounded scared. 

Apollo turned his head towards Sam and he struggled to find the words. He knew he was also attached to the crew members, so her death will affect him as well. 

“I’ll tell you outside, okay?” He said with his voice trying to ease Sam. 

Sam was about to argue, mouth already open, but stopped when he realized that something must’ve gone really wrong. 

He nodded. “Let me talk to the king and queen. I’ll meet you on the ship.”

Apollo nodded in return and left the palace, eyes still alert even outside. He only calmed when he got to the deck of the ship. However, that calm didn’t last. It immediately shifted to one of...emptiness. He didn’t know how to describe it. He didn’t know that woman like Rose and the rest of the crew did, he didn’t feel that attachment, but now knowing that he never would be able to get close to her...it made his emotions confusing. 

Despite his emotions, he knew someone who was mourning more than him, more than anyone. 

Rose. 

At the thought of her, the memory of her sobs echo in his head and it brings him great sadness. He wanted to take that away from her, wanted to keep her smiling, but he knew that was impossible at this time. Grief is a strong emotion, one that many hate, one that hurts people deep inside, and it’s one that takes a toll for a long time. It hangs over your head like a rain cloud, but the sun won’t come out. It won’t let it come out. He knew that better than most people...

He sighed and closed his eyes. He had been standing at the left railing of the ship deck, staring out into the ocean. The world looked so beautiful, but he couldn’t focus on that beauty. It was all dimmed down by the slight sadness he felt. He wanted to go find Rose, but he knew where she was at. She was always worried about her mother, always spending time with her when she could, and now she would be even more worried now that she was at threat. She was in their room doing whatever they could to comfort each other. 

He pulled on the collar of the suit and realized how tight it was. He walked down to his room and changed into his normal clothes, finding a little comfort in them. It’s something he knows, something that can ground him. 

He laid the suit on the bed after taking it off and he noticed little blood drops on it. It made him want to throw it out, throw it into the ocean, or do something with it. He decided to fold it and throw it into one of the nightstand drawers in the room. 

When he was done, he heard the door open. He turned to look and saw Sam leaning against the doorway. He had his arms crossed and was looking at the ground, face blank and unreadable. 

“I’m sorry for her death,” Apollo said with his voice soft. 

“Why are you sorry?” 

“I think I could’ve stopped her death,” he said slowly. He remembered how he walked slowly on those stairs and knows deep down he could’ve stopped this from happening. He could’ve used his God powers and ran as fast as lightning, apprehend the woman, and stop both murders, but he was fooled. 

That confession made Sam look up and show an angry face, all sorrow now replaced with anger. 

Another stage of grief: Anger

He walked up to Apollo and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. “What do you mean you could’ve stopped her death?” 

Apollo’s face showed no shock or fear, only his worry. “I was on the steps, slowly walking to not make too much sound as she began to run towards the door. I believed it was Rose,” he paused as the events replayed through his head, “but it wasn’t. She came in behind me and we both heard the door to them slam and a man scream.” 

Sam’s hands tightened on his shirt and anger flowed through him, and he wanted to blame Apollo. He wanted to so bad, but he knew he couldn’t. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew blaming people who weren’t responsible would only make things worse. Hell, they all already knew who was responsible.

He let Apollo go and left the room quickly, and he heard another door shut down the hallway. The pain was settling in, and everyone needed to be on their own. Everyone wanted to hide from the world, and he would let them. 

He closed the bedroom door and laid down on his bed. He didn’t know what else to do, so he just stared at the wood above him. He wondered if the boys will come in here at night and sleep, or would they stay up all night working?

‘Not taking care of yourself won’t get you anywhere. You know that, and I hope they do too,’ he thought. 

His mind wandered for a few minutes, and slowly his eyes began to droop, and the rocking of the ship put him to sleep. 

.

Apollo’s eyes opened slowly. 

He looked around the room and saw the men sleeping in the bunk bed across from him, and he assumes another man is above him.

‘Good. They came to sleep.’ Knowing that they were there put his heart slightly at ease. 

He let out a quiet yawn and rubbed his eyes. He tried to go back to sleep, but he couldn’t. He tossed and turned but nothing worked, so he decided to get up. He got up slowly, trying not to wake the boys up, and left the room quietly. The hall was dimly lit by a few lanterns sitting against the wall between certain doors. 

‘Dang, that’s really helpful.’

He continued all the way up to the ship deck. The wind hit him immediately and he shivered. He wrapped his arms around himself and rubbed them up and down, trying to warm himself. However, the discomfort of the cold went right off his mind when he heard soft crying. 

He looked around and couldn’t see anyone crying. There were some of the crew members messing with their weapons and messing with the ship on the other end of the deck, but the crying was near him. He looked behind him and walked up the small stairs to the bridge area of the ship, where the steering wheel is, and saw a little girl, sitting in front of the steering wheel. She was sitting crisscross and was holding Aerin. Now that he could see her, he realized it was Ellie. 

“Are you okay?” His voice was quiet and tried to sound comforting, but it still had the deep tone. 

She jumped slightly and looked up at him. He could now clearly see the tears sliding down her face. 

She wiped her face quickly, trying to hide them. “What do you want?” Her voice broke and was harsh for a teenager. He hated seeing people like this and couldn’t help the adults, but maybe he could help a kid.

He sat in front of her, mirroring her position, and held his hands together in his lap. Ellie didn’t say anything more, only stared at him, and he was surprised to see Aerin do the same. The bird didn’t hate him anymore, but he doubted that she liked him. 

“Well,” he started, “I know that everyone’s sad and a lots going on, and I know what’s wrong with them, but what’s wrong with you?” He knew what was wrong, but he wanted her to say it. She was around twelve, so who knew if she understood everything around her. 

She sniffled and wiped her face again. “Why do you want to know?” Her look was sad but also suspicious, and he couldn’t blame her. He may have been here for a few weeks, but that doesn’t mean they would automatically trust him. Especially, a little kid, when all you’re taught is to be careful of everyone. 

“I want to help if I can.”

“How can you help me? Why not help the adults?” 

He let out a sigh and a slight smile appeared on his face. “Adults are weird and complicated. Their emotions are...stronger and it’s hard to deal with them and some adults won’t accept the help.” He leaned in towards her and looked to the left and right, as if someone could possibly hear them. “And between you and me, kids are better than us.” 

She smiled at him and let out a soft giggle. “Really? I thought things get easier as you grow up.” 

“Well, they do, but you change and grow, so things get more difficult as well.”

She was silent for a moment, and then moved Aerin and let her fly away. She was ready to accept someone's help. 

“That sounds...bad...”.

“It’s not all that bad. Things get a little harder, but they do get a little easier. Especially with the people around you.” 

“Does...this happen as well? Do more people disappear?” Her voice became tearful and began to waver. 

He looked down for a moment, struggling to find an answer. ‘How do I explain death to a little kid?’

“Well, sometimes, and it’s hard. That’s one of the things that stays the same in life,” he said sadly as he looked back up at her. “But it gets better.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be sad forever?”

“No. It hurts to lose someone, I know, but they wouldn’t want you to be sad all your life. They would want you to live, be happy, and live your life the way you want. Of course you’ll miss them and still be sad at the fact that they’re gone, but it’s okay to be happy afterwards, no matter how long it takes to become happy.” He rambled all of these things to her, hoping she would somehow understand that things get better. That this sadness won’t last forever.

She looked at him for awhile, trying to take in everything he told her. 

���So, will my mom get better? Will I see her smile again?”

He put on a reassuring smile and ruffled her hair. “I believe so. I bet your mother is a very strong woman, she knows what to do,” he said with his voice confident. Then, his curiosity got the best of him and needed to ask her something. “Who is your mother? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Rose.”

That caused him to let out a little, “Oh,”. It’s not that he was jealous because she had a kid with another person, but seeing her taking care of a kid and multiple other kids and a crew? That was a truly strong woman, and he couldn’t be more proud of her. He’s watching her grow over each timeline, and he couldn’t help but admire it. 

Ellie stood up and walked towards him. She hesitated for a moment, but she leaned down and gave him a tight hug. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, and her cheek was against his shoulder. It made him pause for a moment, not used to any kid attention, but he wrapped his arms lightly around her. 

“Thank you, Andy,” she said, her voice quiet from her shyness. 

He didn’t say anything in response, and just let her stay there until she let go and ruffled his hair. She gave him one of her sweet smiles and left, bouncing down the stairs. He let out a little relieved sigh at the fact that he helped her. He helped someone feel better, and he liked it. He was getting better at peoples feelings slowly.

He heard a noise and looked up to see Aerin sitting on top of the steering wheel. 

“Do you need something as well?”

She flew away immediately and he let out a laugh.

‘Good. What would a bird need help with?’

He let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair and felt the tiredness creep back on him. 

‘Now I really need to sleep. No use in being tired,’. He got up and went back to bed, still trying to be quiet. When he finally laid back down, it only took him a few minutes to let the darkness and comfort of sleep take him again.

.

The next morning, they all get up in the early hours and had a funeral for the woman. On that day, Apollo learns that her real name was Rhea and that she was going to get married to one of the guys in the crew. All of that made him feel many emotions. He felt anger and confusion as to why Adonia did this, and sadness from her death. He may not have known her as good as everyone else did, but how could he not feel sadness? This was an innocent womans death, and he could’ve stopped it. Guilt was one of the emotions he felt, but he had to push it aside. 

The funeral was mainly quiet, even with the kids there. Few people talked, but it was mainly silent. Many did it out of respect, but some did it because they couldn’t form any words. That was the day that he realized that everyone in that crew is family. 

Everyone in that crew is very important and can’t be replaced.

Everyone is loved. 

Apollo looked over at Rose during the funeral and saw her, Sam, and Melody together. Melody was hugging Rose to her side, Sam was leaning against Rose, and they all were together. That day also made him realize that now it’s not just Rose at risk, it’s everyone at risk. Instead of just worrying about Rose and Melody, now there was multiple people he had to worry about. 

He closed his eyes and began to pray, hoping it would be heard.

 ‘Hades...spare these people...’.

He has no idea if Hades or any of the Gods would hear this Gods prayer, but he hoped. However, he knows that hope isn’t the only thing you need to make things happen.

If it was, then Rose wouldn’t have been there at all.

.

After that funeral, Rose did not wait to meet Adonia’s commands. She went back to the ship, got her weapons, and was getting ready to meet her. 

Rose was standing in the doorway of her room, ready to leave, but called for Apollo first. 

“Andy. Can you stay here with my mother?” 

He was called to her room and he saw her in her normal clothes, but he could tell there was some armor underneath her clothes, something to actually protect herself. However, despite her want to leave, her anxiety and worry about her mother was still there, and she demanded for him to watch her mother. And he was happy to do it.

“Of course. What do I have to do?” 

“I don’t have time to say everything, but my mother will. Just stay here in this room until I get back. Don’t go to sleep. Don’t take your eyes off my mother,” she said with a demanding tone. 

“Rose. Go. I’ll be fine with him and the crew here,” Melody said in a calming voice. It was the type of voice a mother uses to soothe a crying child. And it seemed to work on Rose, just a tad bit. 

She turned around to face her mother. She was sitting on the bed, body facing Rose, and she had a bright smile on her face. However, he could see that her smile was shaking and that she was in slight pain. 

Rose went to her mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek and a tight hug. 

“I love you. Be safe, okay? Don’t do anything reckless,” Melody whispered to her, her voice wavering with worry.

“Love you too, and you be safe as well.”

Rose pulled away and left quickly. She knew if she stayed she didn’t know if she’d be able to leave.

Apollo closed the door behind her and looked around the room. He felt a little awkward around her, so he didn’t know what to do. He looked around for a chair or somewhere to sit, but Melody stopped him. 

“Andy. Come over here,” she said as she scooted over and patted the space next to her. He gave her a thankful smile and listened to her. 

He sat down on the bed and looked at her. She was beautiful like she always was. She was practically a Goddess, and he didn’t understand why she hid away most days. As if she could sense his thoughts, she turned to the nightstand beside her and took out a bottle of liquid. 

“I need watching because I am sick. It is why I hide away most days, it is why I wince too much, and it is why I could barely move that one day when we got attacked,” she said with her voice a little more louder than it was with Rose. She wasn’t harsh sounding, but definitely was trying to show some kind of power she had. 

“Why are you sick?” He was curious and nervous. 

‘She’d never been sick before. It’d never been Melody also at risk, other than the war. Is this going to start in more timelines now?’

She looked at the ground and let out a sigh. “I was a mercenary many years ago like Rose is. I was teaching her when she was young. Teaching things she needed to be safe, things she wanted to know, and she was so excited for everything,” she said with a fond laugh at the end. “I never taught her how to kill though. She hates it, just like I do. I taught her ways to avoid killing if she could. I taught her that not everything has to end or begin with violence.” She then looked up at him and her voice went sad. 

“But that’s when she learned that kindness isn’t always given back. She was around twelve when she went on a job with me. It was a simple job of collecting fur for a woman who really needed it. She was sick and weak and couldn’t get it for herself, so I promised her I would. I was healthy and good for this, but that day is when that stopped.” 

“I was getting the fur and was attacked by a couple of bandits. She tried to help me fight, but I pushed her aside and told her to run, but she didn’t. The bandits didn’t want her, however. They wanted me, and they got me. They had a poison on one of their weapons and they stabbed it right into me,” she said as she began to pull up her shirt. She pulled it up to where he could see a nasty wound. 

It was a stab wound and it had a lot of purple around it, like it was a bruise freshly formed, but it wasn’t. It happened years ago, but still affected her to this day. She pulled her shirt down and looked away from him. “I now can’t fight anymore. I managed to get us both back to the town and people helped me to a medic, and it was almost too late for me, but they gave me this type of medicine that could help me. But this poison will never fully leave my body. I’m effected forever or until medicine develops to where I can get rid of it completely,” she said with her tone hopeful at the end. She really believed that maybe she could get better in the future, truly believed that maybe things would be okay. 

“It’s why Rose does many jobs. She keeps getting money to pay the crew, pay for food, pay for armor, but also to pay for my medicine, and manages to get a lot of news from the doctors. It’s never really good towards me, but she tries.” She looks back up at him with a bright smile, this time not forced. “And it makes me very proud of her. She sings to calm people down, her best friend is her brother, she has a kid she’s taking care of, a big crew she’s taking care of, and she still finds time to take care of her sick mother.” 

When she finished telling her story, Apollo felt his heart shatter. He watched her raise Rose in such a beautiful way in every life. She was always protective, careful, and gave her all of her love, and now she still did it, even if it was in a different way. She had to give her love from afar and pray for the Gods to keep her safe. She couldn’t keep an eye on her when she needed it, so now she only had hope to hang onto, but he knows hope isn’t always good enough. 

“I’m really sorry that that happened to you.”

She let out a little noise of disagreement. “It’s okay, Andy. I’ve gotten used to the pain and I manage to push past it sometimes, so I’ll be okay. I just worry about my daughter and my son and the crew. Plus, now you,” she said with a smile. She had this look in her eye that showed that she really cared, her voice was filled with care, and he had to look away. A little blush formed on his face and he let out a shy laugh.

“Thank you, miss,” he said with a quiet voice. She trusted him enough to tell him everything, and it made him feel a bit special. 

“Melody. It’s Melody.”

They smiled at each other and he felt like he got to see her. 

He got to see her. 

And now he hoped he could see Rose. The real Rose underneath this mess, underneath all of her anxiety, underneath the mercenary title, underneath The Dagger, underneath everything. He wanted to see her.

.

After a few hours of reading books, telling tales together, and helping Melody with her medicine, it became sundown, and it made both of them worry. However, their worry was put to an end when the door opened slowly, trying to be quiet, and Rose stepped through the door. They both took in her appearance and saw only a few things wrong. Her hair was a slight mess, there was blood on the shoulder area of her shirt, and she was wincing. 

“What happened?” Apollo and Melody said with worry. Rose stared at them and she looked shocked and confused like them. 

“Adonia didn’t come, but a little girl did,” she said with hesitation in her voice. It sounded like she was afraid. It caused Apollo to think of a little girl that existed, a creature that followed him and Rose everywhere.

Lumie. 

He walked over to her and held her hands, gently. “Please, tell me what happened. Leave no details out.” His voice became serious and rushed, no longer calm and relaxed. This was a threat on her life now, no matter how big or small it was. This meant her life was now in more danger than normal. 

Rose took in a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm herself. “Well, here’s what happened.”

.

.

.

Rose got on her horse, Winter, and rode all the way to the Athena statue. It was a statue but also a worshipping place. It was in the woods, but in a clearing and safe place. The idea of meeting her there had her letting out a little scoff mixed with a laugh. Athena, Goddess of war, is now going to be a ‘witness’ to two women fighting or at least confronting each other. 

‘Of course she would want to meet there.’

After around ten minutes, she ended up at the statue, and she didn’t see Adonia. There was no other horse, no other figure, nothing. It was just the statue and Rose. She got off her horse and walked over to the statue. She stood in front of it and looked around it, and behind it, thinking she’s hiding. However, instead of Adonia, she found another girl.

“Oh, hello, Rose!” The voice came from the top of the statue and Rose stepped back and looked up at the top. There was a girl with a purple dress on, black lace gloves, light pink hair in pigtails, and black boot like shoes on. She looked around thirteen or fourteen, and Rose felt worried for the girl. She was sitting on top of Athena’s head, swinging her legs, and it looked like she would fall over any second.

“Little girl! You shouldn’t be up there,” she shouted to her, panic making her heart start to race. And then her head suddenly began to pound. She felt...some kind of Déjà vu, but she worried more about the girl. 

The little girl let out a scoff and waved her off.

“Oh, little old me? I’m perfectly fine,” she said with a clear, kind voice, but it was fake. It was too high pitched to be comfortable for her to say. She then jumped down and landed on her feet, perfectly fine. She didn’t even wince when her feet touched the ground, even though she should have. Rose was taken aback and stared at her in shock. 

“I think it’s you who should be afraid.”

“Why should I be afraid? What do you know?” 

The girl rubbed her hands together as she began to pace slowly. “Well, I know a lot of things, Rose. The more important question is, what do you know?” 

“What do I know?”

The girl let out a giggle that went on for too long. “Yes! There’s...so much more going on behind the scenes of everything here. Everything is set into place, set into motion, and you can’t stop it. You never have been able to.”

“What do you mean!” Her voice was shouting with anger. She remembered Adonia’s threat and began to worry for all of her family.

‘What things are going to happen? What has she done? Did Adonia do this?’

“Did Adonia do this? That’s the question you think of? Why not ask what my name is? What is the price of all of this? Can you stop this? What is really happening?” As she said those, Rose began to open her mouth to shout questions, but the girl interrupted her.

“My name is Lumie. You already know that. Well, a different version of you knows that. Isn’t that kind of funny? You think you know me, and you do, but you really don’t. Life is so funny like that,” she said with a creepy smile as she stopped pacing and looked directly at Rose. 

“This isn’t funny. Was it you who killed Rhea? Or was it really Adonia?”

Lumie let out a gasp, offended at the mere idea of accusing her. “Me? Absolutely not! I’m just...a watcher in this. I watch everything unfold and play my role when it comes. Isn’t it the same as life?”

“What do you mean ‘your role’? What game? This is life, not a game!” Her voice kept getting louder from the anger building inside of her. She had to know who this girl was, what she meant, what she did, and what she’s talking about. 

“It doesn’t matter what I mean. You won’t remember or understand at all. Plus, there’s more watchers. Some you know and some you don’t. Some want you dead and some don’t, but you don’t know who it is. And you never will,” Lumie said with another creepy giggle. 

“Is it Adonia? What does she want?” 

“I’ll give you a hint, one watcher is Adonia, and another watcher is someone you don’t know,” she said as she held out her two hands in a scale like motion. “One is stronger and one is weaker. I guess you’ll have to find out who it really is,” she said as she laughed one last time. She pointed into the woods and gasps. “It’s Adonia!”

Rose fell for it and turned around in a quick motion, but didn’t see or hear anything. However, she did feel a scratch motion against the bottom of her neck. She let out a little shout and turned around to see anyone, but no one was there. Lumie was gone, and fear and panic was the only thing left.

Rose reached behind her neck and tried to find the wound, wanting to see how bad it was. She hissed when she touches it, and knew she had to get back to the ship now. 

She got back on Winter and began to gallop away. However, she couldn’t help but look behind her when she got a littles away. She saw a figure leaning out from behind the statue, staring at the direction where Rose was. She felt creeped out, but continued to ride back to the ship, hoping she would be okay, and that her crew would be safe. 

.

Hehe anyways >:))). I was going to make it a bit longer, but I couldn’t think of a title for this chapter?? Literally?? Could not, so I just focused on the grief parts to go with the title hirjewds. But yeah!! I hope you both liked this one!! There’s proofreading but my bad if something is wrong!

[axe-trio-commanders]

Saving Face

Secretly, Taimi was the true cool kid all along. The coolest of kids. Spoilers for lws2, lws1, and a violent, if non-permanent, death. Because this is how we do introductions.

      Wow, that was... anticlimactic. Zori looked down at the sylvari, dead at the bottom of the canyon- having slumped off of his little pillar when she’d shot the last arrow. She was sure he’d thought he was clever, jumping around like that, but... had Aerin... really not expected a ranger to use a ranged weapon? Though, granted, she’d... never seen a sylvari... act like that. Yes, some of them were a little off-putting, and there was the nightmare court, but he didn’t seem entirely...

“Commander? Wanna come down here and take a look?”

Zori stiffened, giving the group a nod, her voice... artificially gruff as she responded. “Right. Yes, of course.”

      ...She’d look at the body, see if it was hiding anything- llama hair, straw, that... incredibly, incredibly ominous note that she had to try very hard to fake confidence despite, her thoughts rather immediately going towards concern for Trahearne... She’d hurry back towards Prosperity before the rest, anxious to get to the bottom of this- that, and... maybe get a little alone time by herself. If she was entirely honest... joining up with the group that had killed Scarlet, by themselves- as far as she’d been told- while she was gone...? She knew they called her ‘boss’ because she was the commander, was supposed to know what she was doing, but... she saw the looks Ev was giving her. A human she’d met... relatively recently- Gixx had assigned her as Zori’s exploration partner after the defeat of Zhaitan, despite her initial protests- and... despite being a) human, b) a revenant from the mists, and c) from both several decades ago and Cantha... they’d gotten along pretty well so far. Unfortunately, this meant that Ev was very distinctly aware, unlike the rest of the group, that Zori... really didn’t live up to the reputation she’d been given- and, currently, was trying to portray to them. Confident, ready to fight entire dragons, having... any idea how to militarily strategize... a rather long shot from the ash-legion cub who happened to get involved in a revolutionary military campaign with a brilliant scholar and strategist. Neither of which were herself. She was, currently, thankful for the Ash Legion training that made her just good enough at faking confidence for the rest of the group to... seem to buy it, but... honestly, she was just grateful to Ev for going along with it for now. Maybe she’d have to attempt to make some time alone to talk to her about it. But- more importantly, Prosperity!

      The town was... small. It would probably be more homely without the vines everywhere- and, admittedly, Zori still wasn’t used to fighting the plants... but, soon enough, she’d find. Well, nothing about Aerin, but... something about Scarlet, instead. Scarlet Briar... Zori’d heard plenty about her- how she’d wreaked havoc upon the entirety of Tyria in the span of months, all while the commander was mysteriously missing. She knew Trahearne and Albas weren’t angry, at least- and Gixx knew why she’d been gone, though she suspected Ev was his response to her taking so long to get back. The rest of them, though- the rest of them knew Scarlet, connected her to Aerin before Zori’d even begun to think about it- and, with Aerin as a point of reference... she only respected them more, now. She... owed them the Commander-

“You, uh... on the trail of that other one?”

Zori blinked, turning back to the innkeeper charr. “...You’re gonna have to be more specific.”

“The other sylvari. Figured you’d be together, since she was askin’ about the same thing.” Martinus raised a paw to mark a... rather short height. “Small little thing, sorta...weirdly peppy, given the destruction. Helped clear a few of the new... ‘wildlife’, though, so I figured I may as well give her the info. Not like she could make it worse.”

Zori... paused, for a long while. So not Aerin, but... no, it wouldn’t be Scarlet, either. Scarlet was dead. Unless it was a-? No, the innkeeper wouldn’t have distinguished them otherwise... She nodded. “Right. And- where did you say the first sylvari bought property...?”

------

      “...That can’t be it.”

They stood in front of the door to Scarlet’s former room, everyone but Zori seeming to be on edge after she’d simply... opened the door. It’d been unlocked, nothing had exploded... almost like it was any other, no longer occupied room. Zori stepped aside to let Taimi into the room, protected by Scruffy, sure that she’d know better than anyone how dangerous this could be- she’d studied Scarlet, after all, right? Right- though she wouldn’t stop the rest of them from chasing her in, only following after everyone had rushed inside. Opportune time for a trap, but... still, nothing sprung.

“I... don’t understand. This stuff should’ve been stolen ages ago without a defense system, this is a goldmine,” Came Taimi’s voice- now uncorrupted by Scruffy as she sat atop the golem, looking around the room for clues.

“...I... think it’s been tampered with,” Zori began, slowly, straightening herself a bit more, abruptly, as everyone’s gazes turned to her. “According to the innkeeper, someone got here before any of us.”

“Another sylvari,” Marjory added- and Zori saw nearly everyone else in the room stiffen, knowing the inevitable connection- like Scarlet, and now...

“Like Aerin?” Rox finished the unspoken question, Zori forcing her fur to lie flat. As tempting as it was... she refused to believe this was relegated solely to sylvari. Not yet. She... couldn’t believe every one of them was capable of this.

“We can’t assume that. I saw Aerin too, but that’s still only two cases- it could still easily be coincidence. And, besides that, I doubt Taimi is the only one interested in Scarlet,” she argued, not quite managing to ease out the defensiveness in her tone, avoiding that... look Ev was giving her again. She... knew she couldn’t keep this up forever, but- not now. She turned to the door, raising a paw, noting the runes scrawled around it- eyes narrowing at a small little deformity. “And, clearly, whoever this was, they were... far more coherent than Aerin. These are explosive runes.” She’d triggered them often enough to recognize them by now- not... not that anyone but Ev had to know that. “And, without opening the door, they managed to disarm them with just a tiny scratch. Meanwhile, Aerin apparently forgot how longbows work.”

“Being smarter than Aerin doesn’t absolve them,” Marjory countered.

“Yeah, just makes ‘em more like Scarlet. Actually smart,” Taimi added, indignantly.

They... weren’t wrong, but... “Well, these runes can’t be the only thing they tampered with. We figure out what’s different, we might find out what they were looking for,” Zori concluded, the tip of her tail twitching as she watched the others discuss among themselves- Taimi quickly offering to stay behind and do the research, the rest of them discussing how safe it would be... as much as Zori admired them for taking down Scarlet, how quick they were to distrust sylvari was... worrying, as understandable as it was by now. Though... granted, whoever this was, they were acting... incredibly suspicious.

---

“Taimi! Taimi, are you alright?”

Zori followed in after Braham, noting his immediate concern for the young asura with a keen admiration- before abruptly noting the... pile of dead mordrem in the doorway that the young norn had just barreled over.

“Y- yeah! Yeah, I got into Scruffy just in time, I’m fine,” came the reply- Zori noticed a small falter in her voice, but... otherwise, she seemed to be doing... fantastic, for having, apparently, barely survived a recent mordrem attack.

“...Did you... give Scruffy some weapons while I wasn’t looking?” Came a question from Rox, having apparently just taken in the mordrem-pile.

“Well, ahah- funny story, that! Not only have I discovered far more things about Scarlet, buuuuut, I’ve also found our mystery burglar!”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it that- just visiting... ‘family’,” Chirped a voice from behind the golem, a small, perfectly pleasant sylvari face peeking out as she introduced herself.

Zori stiffened, guard down for just a moment, eyes wide in honest surprise. “Seremnis?”

------

      The ground had started trembling. Rude, quite honestly, to interrupt her in the middle of her study, but Taimi knew better than to see the tremors as anything but an imminent threat, having immediately taken the initiative to climb into Scruffy- she’s be safe there, she was sure. But... still, she watched the door to the small room in anticipation. She could hear the telltale sounds of vines bursting from outside, the... more telltale signs of various people screaming... huh. That was a new voice, wasn’t it? Er... was it? She had to strain to pick it out among everything else, but- she stiffened as something heavy hit the door, the wood already cracking in the single hit. Whatever it was must be...

      A little nose poked out of the bookshelf. A... sort of rat-like thing, but clearly not something meant to still be alive- a necromancer’s minion? Taimi watched as it made it’s way to the door, apparently ignoring the sounds on the other side entirely, climbing up the walls, right next to that little scratch before suddenly hacking up a piece of chalk- rubbing it’s little hands over it, then, in a single motion, swiping a chalky, bloody paw across the scratch, completing the rune- just in time, too, as a big, planty form bigger than any Mordrem Taimi had yet seen burst it’s way through the door- only for the entire wooden structure to, rather immediately, explode in its- and, from the looks of what remained- several other mordrem’s faces, sap splattered across the room. Well, that was... dramatic. Seemed the mouse thing exploded with them. But then who-?

      She watched as, then, from... apparently nowhere, small slashed cuts made themselves apparent on the fallen mordrem- those that were still moving slightly falling limp, small, green orbs of light rising from their fallen forms, towards another figure that soon made itself apparent as it approached the doorway. Too small to be human, certainly- and, once she was close enough and the dust settled enough, decidedly too planty, too, small spots on the mess of leaves on her head and small lines on her face glowing violet in the sandstorm-dimmed light as she put away... an axe and dagger, it looked like. And, rather abruptly, the sylvari seemed to notice Taimi, too, stiffening where she stood- on top of mordrem corpses- in the doorway, seeming to be in shock for only a moment before an apologetic smile came to her face. “...Ah. Hello, there- and sorry about the doo-hn!”

      Taimi huddled further back in Scruffy as she saw another vine burst from the ground, quickly wrapping itself around the small sylvari and constricting. No, no no! That had to be the right sylvari, she couldn’t die now! But- she couldn’t reach her weapons with the vines wrapped around her limbs, quickly reaching for the throat, as Taimi had... soon learned the vines were want to do- and though there evidently weren’t more than... maybe three mordrem left, they seemed to see the signs of a struggle, and leapt for the kill themselves, and- oh, alchemy, the sylvari almost seemed to accept it- not like there was much of a choice, with... that much sap spilling from puncture wounds, tearing wounds from the mordrem hounds... 

      And, then, there wasn’t quite a sylvari there anymore- the vine twisting up on itself, passing through the dark, smoky form that only faintly resembled something bipedal- that green light rising in streams from the mordrem around it, towards the... thing, an unearthly growl issuing from it as the green light was concentrated and shot towards the now-unsteady mordrem hounds, the vine falling to the ground, limp, in the onslaught- and when the orb hit the hounds, they found themselves rather quickly on fire, turning tail and running- only for the smoky form to send and even smokier, clawed hand after them- disappearing from the growing pile of downed mordrem to appear in front of the fleeing hounds, unleashing a final volley to finish them off- and then, slowly, deliberately, the... thing made it’s way back to the doorway, stopping there, and... then, the smoke... solidated- and, once more, before Taimi stood a sylvari- placing a hand on the doorway to steady herself, breathing hard, using her free hand to rub at her neck. “That is... never going to be pleasant...”

“What. Was. That?!” Taimi’s voice squeaked as she leaned closer to the console, studying the sylvari in front of her. So many secrets, so many questions to ask!

The sylvari looked back- relief holding her expression for a moment as she looked at the golem, then around at the... mostly unharmed room- then, a simple content, if... tired smile regained control as she straightened herself. “I believe it’s termed a ‘shade’, in most circles,” she chirped, watching the asura within the golem- a keen interest of her own hidden carefully behind friendly eyes. “But I really do think a more accurate description would be... carefully controlled, pure, life force. Necromancers tend to have a little extra, after all.”

“Alright! One question only incredibly vaguely answered. Question two- why are you here?”

The sylvari’s smile widened. “Just looking around.” She let a pause hang in the air before continuing. “I know, just as vague- but questions like these are an exchange, aren’t they? You clearly know plenty yourself, smart as you are. Does that sound fair?”

------

“You know her, commander?”

Zori looked to Taimi, immediately stiffening. This was going to be... hard to explain- just. Take a moment to calm down, compose yourself... she could do this, it’d be fine... she glanced back towards Seremnis, catching, just for a moment, a... very knowing look. She was doing this on purpose, wasn’t she. “...Sort of. She’s part of the pact, and I saw her... pretty often around Orr...? But we don’t... talk. Much.”

“I don’t think that means we can trust this,” muttered Braham.

“...But Trahearne does know her, and he trusts her,” Zori continued- catching the momentary look of surprise on Seremnis’ face. Did she... not know that...? “...And I’d trust his judgement more than anyone’s,” she concluded firmly. The rest still looked... worried, but... she hoped that if she made her decision sound final enough, it’d mean something. As off-putting as Seremnis was, Zori didn’t doubt that she’d done her best to support the pact- and, from what she’d heard from Trahearne about her wyld hunt... joining the team doing research into the new dragon made sense. She just... wasn’t sure how to tell that to the rest of them...

“Plus, she showed me the super-secret cave behind the bookshelf, with the condition that we shared info- and I convinced her to wait until the rest of you showed up to do anything.”

      Sounded more like the conditions of joining the team than anything to Zori. Terming it as an exchange... she recognized negotiation tactics when she heard them. Why couldn’t she just... ask, normally? Did she think this was some sort of exclusive... Zori remembered that knowing glance, and swallowed. She was... doing the same thing Zori was, wasn’t she? Putting on a face for the rest of the team. It... really was that simple, wasn’t it. Zori took a breath, moving forwards. “Well- I’ll... we should probably sweep through the cave first, make sure it isn’t trapped, since she’s a apparently good at disarming these things,” She decided, moving through the room towards the bookshelf- already moved aside to reveal a small, steep staircase.

“I certainly wouldn’t mind,” Seremnis chirped in agreement, stepping back to allow Zori through- the both of them heading through to the cave without much further argument, beyond an impatient Taimi telling them to hurry up and vague murmurs of further discussion quickly disappearing behind them.

      Zori let her posture relax a little as they entered the cave, letting out a breath. Flames, that was... tense.

“Sorry for the abrupt introduction, but I... figured you’d all be better off without having to worry about another Scarlet,” Seremnis apologized quietly. “You seemed like you already had a lot on your mind.”

Zori winced. “Yeah... I- I really, really should have been there to help with Scarlet, but-”

“That wasn’t something you could help.”

“Maybe, but... I need to make it up to them somehow. It was a mess. A... traumatizing mess, probably.” Zori let out a long breath. “...The sort of thing I hoped would die with Zhaitan.”

“...And if this all is any indication, Mordremoth will only be worse.”

Zori let out a snort. “No pressure, right?”

Seremnis stopped, giving the commander a small smile. “...If it makes you feel any better, I did bring snacks.”

Zori blinked, then gave her a smile back, relaxing with another long breath. “Oh, thank flames, some good news.”

[staytheb]

He Is

Pairing: INFINITE’s Sunggyu x OC [Aerin] Genre: flowershop!au, slice of life, slight fluff Word Count: 2,052 Summary: Flowers are love's truest language. Sunggyu stops by a flower shop to run an errand for his brother-in-law. Over time he frequents the shop to purchase flowers, but to also get to know the worker as well. One day, Aerin doesn’t show up and the shop closes for the time being.

Warning: none, but this hasn’t been again proof-read as i’m sharing this from a year ago where it was last proof-read. lol

first off i’m sharing this just so that i can have another place to put this story here on tumblr. second of all, i’m not sure if i’ll take request for INFINITE stories, so they’ll be on the list, but not for any request atm. and this was for a contest of sort, but that went on hiatus and so yeah. this was my first ever INFINITE story with Leader Gyu and i quite like how it turned out as i was inspired by the song She Is by Clazziquai Project and hence the title for this fic. anyways, i think that’s about it so happy reading and kthxbai, Admin Lia~

Aerin was casually working the counter as she was arranging a bouquet of white carnations for a client that would be picking it up in less than an hour. She heard the door's bells chimed and looked up to greet the customer with a cheerful expression.

"Hello. Welcome to Inspirit Petals. Is there anything I can help you with?"

The female customer smiled, but shook her head before browsing around. Aerin went back to what she was doing and had just put the finishing touch to the bouquet with a bright smile when the door chimed once more. She repeated her greeting as the male walked up to the counter.

"Hi. I'm the one that's supposed to pick up a flower arrangement for Lee Taehyun."

"Oh, so you're not Lee Taehyun?"

"No. I'm his brother-in-law, Kim Sunggyu. Is that fine?"

"Yeah, I just need you to sign that you've picked them up for confirmation purposes."

"Okay."

Aerin went to the computer to pull up the file before turning it around for Sunggyu to sign.

"Just need your signature right here and you'll be on your way."

Sunggyu viewed the contents before using his index finger to sign his name. Aerin took the computer back and finished the rest up to print out a receipt. While it did that, she bundled up the bouquet and handed both items to Sunggyu.

"There you go. Have a wonderful day."

"Thanks." Sunggyu paused before leaving and looked at the bouquet. "These are white carnations, right?"

"Yes they are." Aerin smiled with a nod.

"Are you sure?" Sunggyu questioned as he looked from the female and the flowers.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"No, but seriously. These are white carnations, right?"

"Yes. Mr. Lee wanted something that was pure also for good luck. They mean Woman's Good Luck Gift and Pure Love."

"Well, it's for my sister and I don't want to give her the wrong flowers. Can you double check?"

"Seriously? No, I'm not sure and am totally wrong. That's why I'm working at a flower shop owned by my father for the past twenty-something years." Aerin replied in a sarcastic tone, but her face remained aloof.

Sunggyu eyed her, but realized he was making a fool of himself. He gave her a nod and left shortly afterwards.

"Wow, what a prick. Hate when people do that." Aerin muttered as she sat on the high stool and played on the computer since the previous customer from before had left when Sunggyu had entered.

The next time Aerin saw Sunggyu again was a few weeks later at the flower shop again, but she had no recollection of their encounter as it wasn't important for her to remember someone that gave her a bad impression.

"Hello. Welcome to Inspirit Petals. How may I help you?"

She greeted seeing the male customer looking a bit flustered as he ran a hand through his hair. She watched him a moment longer, but Aerin assumed he didn't hear her and so she just went back to trimming the white stargazer lilies for another client to pick up later today.

"I'll take an order of those." Sunggyu said as he pointed to the vase of the white stargazer lilies.

Aerin shot him a look with a raised eyebrow. "Do you even know what these symbolizes?"

"Does it matter? It looks nice. I'll take it."

"They represent sympathy. Are you sorry for something?"

"No. Why would I be? My friend is about to propose to his long-term girlfriend and I'm in charge of picking up the flowers."

Aerin mentally rolled her eyes as she moved the stargazer off to the side and headed towards the back. Sunggyu frowned as he watched the female go to the back and later returned with another white flower.

"Here we go. These are orange blossoms and would work better for your friend's occasion than those." Aerin said while motioning her head to the stargazers. "They represent Eternal Love as well as Marriage and Fruitfulness."

"Are you sure I can't use the other one?" Sunggyu asked pointing at the white stargazer lilies. "I think they look prettier."

"I'm positive that you don't want to use the other one."

"Are you sure?"

"No. I don't know anything. I would love to send you off giving those stargazers to your friend to give to his future fiancee and for the wedding to never happen in the end." Aerin replied sarcastically with a bored expression.

Sunggyu regarded her a bit before slowly speaking again. "Is that supposed to be funny?"

Aerin actually rolled her eyes this time. "No. So do you want the orange blossoms or not?"

"Well, since the other bouquet for my brother-in-law was perfect and correct, I'll trust your judgement." He smiled at her and Aerin was caught off guard by his attractive smile. "Um, yeah, you're welcome. I'll, be back."

Aerin swiftly turned around and went to the back to make Sunggyu a bouquet and returned with the finished product.

After Sunggyu had paid for the bouquet he lingered a little longer. "Thanks. Name?"

"They're called orange blossom."

"I meant yours."

"Why?"

"So I could thank you."

"It's not important." She shot him a quick smile before resuming back to tending the white stargazer lilies.

Sunggyu sheepishly smile before his eyes caught sight of something and he grinned. "Well, thank you, Aerin. Have a wonderful day."

"You're welcome and you, too." She replied absent-mindlessly before shooting her head up with widened eyes to only see that the male has exited the shop already. "How did he know my name?"

Aerin shrugged and looked back down to the stargazers and noticed her name-tag. "Right. Wow, Aerin."

From then on, Sunggyu would visit Inspirit Petals often enough to purchase flowers for any kind of occasion he could think of that wouldn't seem like he had nothing to do with his life. Aerin at first thought it was a nuisance, but eventually she looked forward to his visits. She wondered what he would buy this time around.

Last time Sunggyu came was for a colleague's birthday. A female and he wanted to do something nice, but not to the point where it was like he was confessing his love or anything along the lines towards her. Aerin found him a bumbling mess when he was telling her that he was interested in someone, but not his colleague. Then he caught himself and tried to talk about something else. Aerin thought he was cute.

A sort of relationship beyond worker and customer occurred between the two although Aerin never saw him outside of the flower shop although Sunggyu would not so discreetly invite her out as he would mentioned certain events here and there. Aerin would casually declined since she didn't really know the guy, and she was still busy running the shop since her father wasn't feeling well lately.

Anyways, one day Sunggyu came by the shop, but found that it was already closed for the day. He frowned at the hand-written sign detailing that the shop would be closed for a while and that it would re-open soon. It didn't give a specific date and Sunggyu wondered if everything was fine with Aerin.

A week later, Sunggyu returned, but the shop was still closed. He tried calling, but was always met with the answering machine. He would come by during different times of the day to see if he would run into anyone, but nothing. His heart ached from not being able to see Aerin as well as not know of her situation. He resumed his life as to distract himself from Inspirit Petals sudden hiatus.

Several days later, Sunggyu happened to walk by Inspirit Petals and was surprised that it was suddenly opened for business. With a smile he entered the store, but Aerin was no where in sight. His smile quickly dropped upon that notion.

"Hello. Welcome to Inspir-Sunggyu?" His friend, Woohyun, said his name in a questioning tone. "What are you doing here?"

"Woohyun? When did you start working here?" Sunggyu asked the younger male instead.

"Oh, I'm just helping out a friend. She's been unable to work so me and Sijin have been trying to run this place as to not let the flowers wilt."

"I see. Sijin knows Aerin?"

"Oh, you know Aerin? Funny, she never mentioned you. Anyways, yeah Sijin and Aerin have been childhood friends since forever."

"Could I ask what happened with Aerin?"

"Well, I don't know if I'm someone that can just say it. But-"

"Woohyun." Came a soft voice as Sunggyu recognized Sijin who was coming out from the back while carrying a bouquet of yellow flowers he didn't know of.

"Hi, Sijin." Sunggyu greeted her with a smile as the female returned the gesture. "Hello, Sunggyu. What brings you here?"

"He's asking about Aerin." Woohyun whispered, but it wasn't discreet enough as Sunggyu rolled his eyes at his friend's behavior.

"Oh? How do you know Aerin?"

"I got to know her since I would come to Inspirit Petals for flowers." Sunggyu explained. "The first time was for my brother-in-law and then just recently another time for a colleague at work."

"I see, well, Aerin won't be returning until she's ready." Sijin informed Sunggyu as the male slightly frowned.

"Did something happen?"

"Her father passed away."

Sunggyu's expression turned to one of sadness as he wasn't sure what to say or do. He stood there awkwardly wondering what he should do next. Then his eyes lingered onto the bouquet in Sijin's hands and he thought of something.

"You wouldn't happen to know the meaning of those flowers in your hands, do you?" He asked with a shy demeanor.

"These?" Sijin questioned while lifting up the yellow flowers in her hands. "They're called Zinnia and they mean Daily Remembrance."

"Oh, um, then do you know the kind of flowers to comfort someone with?"

Aerin opened her door to see Sunggyu standing on the other side. The duo just stared at one another in silence with none of them wanting to say anything as it's been weeks since they've seen each other, but also Aerin never thought she would meet Sunggyu outside Inspirit Petals.

"Hi." They both said at the same time with Sunggyu chuckling nervously.

He then held the white poppies in front of him as Aerin looked at the bouquet and knew the meaning, but wasn't sure what Sunggyu was trying to convey on his part.

"These are for you." Sunggyu offered the bouquet to Aerin. "I heard about your dad from Sijin at the shop. My condolences."

"Oh, um, thank you." Aerin let out awkwardly as she wasn't expecting something like this from him and took the white poppies. "That's very kind of you."

Sunggyu smiled. "Well, you've always gave me the right kind of flowers for my occasions, and so I thought that you should received them, too."

Aerin cracked a smile. "At least you always went with the right meaning with help."

They both chuckled and then silence fell upon them again.

Sunggyu let out a cough as he tried to formulate the right words to ask Aerin out despite her current situation with a passed loved one. "So um, you can say no if you want, but my band is playing tonight at this college for some fundraiser." Sunggyu began before rushing the last bits. "But it would be cool if you came out to cheer for us. If you want that is."

Aerin chuckled at the male's behavior as she contemplated his words. "Sure. It'll be nice to do something and get out of the house."

"Great. It starts at eight. I'll let you know the name of the college."

Before Sunggyu could walk off, Aerin called his name.

"Hmm?"

"I'm pretty sure you'll need my actual phone number to message me the details, right?" Aerin said with a playful look.

"Right, right." Sunggyu laughed a bit embarrassed as he brought out his phone and he and Aerin exchanged numbers. "I'll text you soon."

"Can't wait and thanks for the flowers, Sunggyu. I greatly appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Aerin. Glad you like them."

"See you at eight."

"Oh, yeah. See you."

Aerin watched Sunggyu with a smile as she held the bouquet closed to her chest.

[katieskarlette]

Before the Storm:  A Reaction Post

I just finished binge-reading the latest WoW novel, and I have thoughts.  Quite a few of them, actually.  So here goes.

Short non-spoilery version:   Game tie-in novels are never going to be high literature, but for what it was, I really enjoyed this book.  I know Golden’s name has been mud around this neck of the internet lately, so this probably isn’t a popular opinion.  The contrast between Anduin and Sylvanas as leaders--and as people--was interesting to see, and the questions about how the living and the undead can (or should) interact were incredibly poignant.  There was only one significant lore development (at the very end, regarding a new variety of undead) that is easy to catch up on via a quick summary, so it’s not a mandatory read to understand Battle For Azeroth.  But as a character study and a fleshing-out of the world and how various issues stand going into the new expansion, it was a enjoyable read.  If you’re a fan of Anduin, Sylvanas, Genn, Calia, or goblins, definitely check it out.

Spoilers (as well as a mention of real-life death/grief) below.

I think sometimes fandom marinates in an echo chamber and, because of how seldom new canon material is released, we assume that because Blizzard isn’t releasing a weekly short story they’re letting unresolved plot threads dangle and fester.  Sometimes they do, granted, but there were an awful lot of things addressed (or at least mentioned) in this book that fandom has been wondering/worrying/complaining/speculating about:

The leadership void among the Darkspear.  The impact of losing so many soldiers and supplies in the war with the Legion.  What’s been going on in the Undercity while Sylvanas is away doing Warchief stuff.  The fact that none of the Horde leaders have families.  The reaction of the Cenarion Circle to their losses in Silithus.  The unpopularity of Gallywix among his own people.  The confusion and cross-faction misunderstandings about the disastrous battle of the Broken Shore.  The tension and lost trust after Genn Greymane and Admiral Rogers’ shenanigans at the start of Stormheim’s storyline.  Moira’s son not being a baby anymore.  The unresolved issues between Moira and Magni.  Velen’s grief over his son.  The fact that Tess and Mia Greymane exist.  Theramore.  Calia’s claim to the throne of Lordaeron.  The long-lasting impact of the Cataclysm.  The mixed opinions among the Horde about the way the goblins terraformed Azshara.  Kalec and Jaina’s relationship.  Lore from the priest order hall.  And yes, the fact that Anduin needs an heir.

I’m not saying all these things are settled or developed, or handled in ways I necessarily agree with, but it’s good to be reminded that Blizzard hasn’t forgotten about any of these elements.  (Wrathion, on the other hand...  Sigh.  Don’t get me started.  Suffice it to say he’s not even alluded to in the book.  Onyxia does get a passing mention in relation to how her scheming impacted the Wrynns.)

Anyway, moving on to the main theme of the book:  life, death, and all the corpse-gray areas in between.

It was hard to read sometimes because of how raw the emotions were and how hard the questions were that it asked.  I’m not sure that it would have the same impact on someone who has never grieved the death of a loved one, but for me it was quite emotional.  I got misty-eyed in several places.  

I found myself imagining what it would be like to see my much-beloved grandmother (who, by the time she died, was as hunched, emaciated and discolored as any Forsaken, although that’s not how I try to remember her) standing across a field from me.  To be able to speak to her again, tell her how much I love and miss her, to tell her what I’ve been doing in the last fifteen years...yet to see her as a withered, pungent, unnatural husk, to know she’d been denied the rest of the grave...  Faced with that choice, I don’t know how I would react.  I’m glad I never will--for a lot of reasons!

The book never said that Anduin imagined himself facing either of his parents under such circumstances, but I’m sure he must have.  (I mean, not that there was anything left of Varian to turn undead, but hypothetically speaking.)  Anduin’s a very empathetic person, and his own grief over his father was still so raw.  It certainly affected Genn, who I thought was written very well. 

I’ve never been a fan of the Forsaken, because their dark, mean-spirited, nihilistic outlook and the corpse/bone aesthetic don’t appeal to me. (It doesn’t in other contexts, either.  Give me cute jack o’ lanterns and chubby-cheeked ghosts for Halloween decorations, and skip the plastic tombstones and cardboard skeletons, please.)  This book gave a lot of insight into what it would be like to be undead, without the need for sleep, cut off from any living friends/relatives, with a body that’s slowly wearing out without the ability to heal or do physical therapy, knowing that you are repulsive and smelly to others, making the most of second chances while also perhaps yearning for the peace of true death, and being acutely aware of how fragile you really are.  It made the Forsaken more sympathetic and (excuse the pun) fleshed out.

I was also quite pleased to see acknowledgement of Forsaken who aren’t emotionless, gibbering eeeevil.  My lone, seldom-played undead alt, a lowbie priest, is that kind of a character:  holding onto the Light even though it now is painful to use, and refusing to stoop to being a monster just because she’s a walking corpse.  That wasn’t a viewpoint that was really highlighted in canon before.  (Of course, that means my little priest would be out there on the Arathi plain with a bunch of black arrows sticking out of her right now, so...)

I was disappointed that the book never mentioned Anduin bringing Elsie’s body back to Stormwind to bury beside Wyll.  I’m going to assume he did, because geez.

I still don’t know where they’re going with the new Light-infused variety of undead, but we’re not really supposed to.  It’s just a teaser and cliffhanger.  There’s a lot of story potential, anyway.  We’ll see.  I’m glad they didn’t remove Calia from the story completely, at least.

Speaking of cliffhangers, if that adorable gnome/goblin couple didn’t survive, I’m going to be majorly bummed out.  It was also interesting to know that goblins and gnomes can get married in canon.  Presumably other cross-species relationships can be made legal, too.

Anyone who’s emotionally invested in the Menethil dynasty has sure had a rollercoaster of ups and downs lately.  Yay, Calia’s finally in game!  Noooo, she’s not interested in claiming her throne!  Yay, she’s interested after all!  Nooooo, she’s dead!  Yay, she’s...undead?  And she's totally cool with the idea that Lordaeron belongs to the Forsaken?  (Which, I mean, it does, but it’s surprising to have her think that.  So many forum threads about this stuff suddenly became obsolete...)  And there’s a slim chance that her daughter is either undead or still alive out there somehow?  WHAAAAAAT? 

Oh yeah, she secretly got married to a footman, had a kid, escaped the Scourge, lived in Southshore for years under an assumed identity, and then presumably lost her husband and daughter when the town got Blighted (yet she’s okay with the Forsaken???), but we didn’t see the bodies so heaven only knows what plot twist could come of that.  

On one hand (the Watsonian one) it’s a tragic, awful thing for her to have gone through and I felt really bad for her.  On the other hand (the Doylist one), did she really need more tragic, awful backstory?  No.  No, she really did not.  It seemed like overkill, which makes me suspect they’re seeding a plot thread for the future.  Meh.  Hey, if she lived in Southshore, did she know the Rogers family?  Would Admiral Catherine Rogers recognize her as whatever her fake identity was?

On a related note, you’ve got Anduin who in the past was always like, “OMG noooo don’t compare me to Arthas!” and now is like, “Okay, Calia, I’m officially adopting you as my new big sister.”  Oh, the irony...

I should address the rainbow-striped elephant in the room:  There is no LGBTQIA+ representation in the book.  Anduin is specifically mentioned as having been attracted to the female dwarf Aerin, and he expects to fall in love with a woman someday.  Personally, I‘ve headcanoned him as bi, perhaps leaning a bit ace, while always expecting Blizz to have him marry a woman.  I do sympathize with those who had hoped that he might be canonically gay, and I strongly agree that Warcraft badly needs more representation in that regard.  In this book alone, it would have been so easy to have that blacksmith bringing a helmet as a gift to his long-lost Forsaken husband instead of friend.  But we also need a major Warcraft character to be unequivocally LGBT.  It’s way, way past time.  Get on it, Blizzard.

[Edited to add:  I almost forgot, another kind of representation I wish they had explored was that of physical disability.  As convenient as Anduin’s Magic Lie-and-Bad-Idea-Detecting Bones are, why couldn’t he have had some negative lasting effects of being crushed by the Divine Bell?  Chronic aches, maybe a limp at least?  Loss of a limb, even?  There is a narrative to be explored there, and as someone with a close family member who suffers from chronic pain and limited mobility it would be refreshing to see that kind of thing addressed.]

Moving on, I’ve never cared for Valeera Sanguinar that much, but I did like how she’s set up as Anduin’s super secret spy.  I wonder if she gets to wear pants now.

Big ol’ meanie Sylvanas made Baine and Anduin stop being pen pals.  *pout*  I loved how Magni called her “lassie,” though.  That takes balls of diamond, to be sure...

Speaking of the banshee queen, I tried very hard to read between the lines to see what their long-term plans are for her.  Just because the last line of the book is Anduin proclaiming that she’s beyond saving, that doesn’t mean they aren’t going to try to pull off some kind of redemption arc.  If anything it just draws our attention to the question.  

Is Anduin right?  A big part of his plot arc lately is how he’s finding his way, making mistakes and learning from them.  Could he be wrong about Sylvanas?  He saw potential for good in Garrosh that never developed, so it’s not impossible that he could find compassion for Sylvanas someday...if she shows remorse and a desire to change.  And that’s an “if” bigger than the sword sticking out of Silithus.

I didn’t see any signs of her wrestling with her conscience.  If anything, the emphasis on how some Forsaken do still have feelings (besides hatred, bitterness, and anger) condemned her all the more by comparison.  Yet she does regret Vol’jin’s death, and she did respect him.  And her feelings were definitely hurt by her sisters’ responses to her, and you have to have feelings to have them be hurt.  But her lack of remorse for any of the vicious, heartless things she does, combined with her new penchant for killing her own people, doesn’t bode well for her to have a change of heart any time soon.

I also kept a close eye on Nathanos.  In his short story they made a point of saying that his senses were sharper with his new body, and that he felt a pang of regret for the first time since his death.  That could simply be an indication of his renewed state, or it could be a tiny sliver of foreshadowing that he’s not 100% on board with Sylvanas’ plotting.  Then again, that was set before Legion, and he spent all of Stormheim frantically trying to find her, and worrying about her, and just generally not being remotely subtle about how much he cares for her.  Heh.  Then again, he can care about her (in whatever way the undead feel such bonds, that is) and still think she’s going too far with her ideas about the valkyr, raising more Forsaken, keeping them up and functioning indefinitely without the release of true death, etc.  Interesting potential for conflict there, as well.

I don’t know that I even want to see a Sylvanas redemption arc, but it’s fun to try guessing what Blizzard has planned.  And such a plot twist would alleviate some of the “Didn’t we just do this same ‘overthrow a bad warchief’ plot with Garrosh?” syndrome, and allow them to keep around one of the franchise’s most recognizable characters.

I was also relieved to find no evidence that Anduin is being corrupted by the Old Gods, Azerite, or anything else.  He’s true to himself and the Light, as always.  I appreciate characters who stubbornly insist that there is good in (almost) everyone, despite living in a world that does its best to beat that optimism out of them.  It’s not blind idealism or naivete; it’s faith and its own kind of strength.

Sylvanas and Anduin are fascinating foils for each other.  The stark contrast between a young king who is still finding his place and a bitter, scarred, centuries-old queen, someone who comes to understand that death is not always the enemy versus someone who digs in her heels and refuses to accept it, someone who wants his people to be happy versus someone who kills them for not agreeing with her...  It’s intriguing.

Was it the best book ever?  No.  Did I enjoy reading it?  Yes.  Is it absolutely necessary to read in order to understand the story going into the next expansion?  Nah.  Would it have been a lot better with Wrathion in it somehow?  Of course.  ;)

And that’s my two cents.  (Er, well, judging by how long this post got, more like $2.50.)